The opinions expressed in commentaries on Raven Radio are those of the author, and are not necessarily shared by the station’s board, staff, or volunteers.
Hi, this is Rob Parker from the Alaska Computer Center.
I would like the people of Sitka to know about a cyberscam. Many of you have called me or come into my store alarmed by calls or on-screen notices from people claiming to be from Microsoft, or Norton Antivirus, or some other similar legitimate entity. They will tell you that your computer is infected or being hacked, or give some other alarming reason for their call. The intent of the contact is to frighten you, to get control of the computer, and to charge you $200-300 for some service. They will say that the computer is loaded with virus and spyware and other “dangerous things” and that you should allow them to access your computer using LogMeIn or some other software to take control of your computer. Once in, they will tell you that they will clean your computer, and even will show you evidence of the stuff which they have found — which in fact they have put in your computer.
One woman came into my store recently and said that these people actually had improved her computer. In truth, they may have installed some easily-available free software to improve your machine. I’m happy to show you how to obtain and use this software anytime — but it’s not worth $300! These scammers will tell you that they can solve all your problems for only $200 or $300. And in some instances they will offer to keep your computer free of danger for only $200 per year. Neither Microsoft nor Norton nor any legitimate entity does business this way. When contacted by someone making these claims, simply hang up. Do not give out your credit card number. The people doing this are criminals.
Thanks for listening. I’m Rob Parker with the Alaska Computer Center.
